Belt-buckle.



T. F. HATHAWAY.

BELT BUCKLE. APIPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 191

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

couimsu PLANODRAPH co lizveni br WASHINGTON D c EE Y THOMAS F. HATHAWAY, or 11mm, rumors, assicnon. To Emmi AMERICAN MANU- FACTURING 00., or ELGIN, rumors, A oonrosa'rron or itmivois."

1 BELT-Boosts.

Application filed May 29. 1915. Serial No. 31,201.

To all whom z't ma i concern Be it known that I, THOMAS at Elgin, in the county of Kane'and State of Illinois, have invented-certain new and The objectof the invention is-to provide a buckle of the character specified, which will be simple of construction as well "as durable; v i g 1 i 1 A further object of the invention is to provide means for eflt'ectinga clamping -en-:

gagement to holdthe beltagai'nst movement through the. buckle, which engagement will be readily and easily elfected.

A further object is to provide means whereby the clamping member'can be readily and quickly adjusted -with, respect to the face plate of the buckle, so as to'bebrought into the desired operative engagement with the surface of the belt, no matter'what the thickness of the belt may be.

A further object of the invent on to provide means for retaining theolarhping member in place by the cooperation of fixed and movable locking members for the clamping member. i 1 h v The invention further consists in the fea tures of constructlon and combinations of parts hereinafter described andclaimed. In the drawings, Figure 1 is'a rear view of thebuckle of the present invention, with a belt extending therethrough, and with the ,buckle in closed or clamping position ;',Fig;

2 is aYsection on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail, showing the buckle in open or non-clamping position to permit the passage of the belt therethrough.

The invention is illustrated iniconnection with the ordinarybelt 4,01? leather or other suitable material, which is affixed by anysuitable means at one end 5 to a ring 6, the

other end being free. This ring hasits rear .bar 7 formed or prov1ded with an acting 1 or clamping surfaceS. The said rear bar is i so further formed or provided with ears 9, adaptedto aline with cars 10 on the end of a plate 11, and a pintleor pin 12 is passed 1 through the ears 9 and 10'to make ahinge connection between t e ri g hich may be] Specification of Letters Patent.

F. HATHAQ WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing Pa aa1ea 1,191e

termed the acting portion of the clamping of a portion 13 and a portion "14,: angularl'yf disposedfwith;1respect to one another, so

cross section, as will; be seen from Fig. 2."

, that this plate'is' ofagener'al 'V 1 p in The body of the buckle consists of a face platell5 of'any suitable character or design, and a back comprised of a bar 16- and an angular bar l7, which latter maybe termed the fixed locking means for the clamping'member. These bars are suitably joined to side flanges 18 dependin'gyfro'm the front piece 15. Whenthe clampingportion 1s placed inoperativerelation to the body of the buckle, the plate'll lies between the face plate and thefixedlockingumember 17, as shown in the drawing. The corrugation in the'portion 1316f; theplate 11- engages withand' rests upon the .edge of the 'upturned portion 19 ofthe fixed locking mem'- ber 17. p 1

, .The foregoing constitutes a description of v the parts and theirarrangement.

The operation is briefly as follows belt is threaded jthro'ughthe buckle so new lie between the face platel5' and the clampi ing member, as' illbe apparent'from Figs. 2 and: 3." After the belt has b e'en so threaded, the first step'is to draw the clamping'memher until the acting portion or clamping I surface 8 is in: engagementflwith the'lower face ofithat portion of the belt' ithreaded through the buckle; Just how far the clamping memberwill have to be drawn until this engagement i'S eIfecte'dId'ependskupon the thickness of the belt, andthis is one of the principal features of the present invention,

namely, the ability to quickly and easily adjust the clamping member in correspondence with. the thickness of the belt. When the clamping member has been drawn sufliciently reason of the end 20 of the portion 14 of the tofcause the acting portion thereof to engage platepll engaging the surface ofthe belt,

and the corrugations on the parts 1301- the platel'l interlocking vv'ithlthe edge of the upturning; portion 19 of the bar, 17, softhat the plate 11,-co6peratiiig" Withthe bar--17,

.ree'stia tes e l locking t mn I I ing memberin position. The plate 11, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, is thus wedged into place, and slippage out of place prevented by the interlocking of the corrugations of the movable locking-member with the surface of the fixed locking member.

After the clamping member is thus locked in place, the acting portion of the clamping. member can be swung about the hinge con nection until it engages with the lower face of the belt, as in Fig. 2, and such gripping or engagement will act toprevent slipping of the belt through the buckle.- VVhen itis desired to release the belt to allow itv to slide through the buckle, the acting'portion of the clamping member is turneddown into the buckle. and which can, therefore, be

shifted readilv and quickly into desiredzpo: siticn. to effect, its clamping, acticnagainst the belt, no matter'what the thickness-of the beltmay be; and means have-been provided for lockinglthis clamping member in posi'-' tion, after it has been adjusted, whereby slipping of the belt by disconnec tion.-of the clamping memberis eliminated. ByJem-f ploying the corrugated surfacesreferred to, it isl obvious that an adjustment of. the

clamping member to almost any degree can be effected, and, therefore, beltsofall varying thicknesses can be securely retained. I claim: 1, Ina buckle, the combinationof a body portion embodyingaface plate, ablamping member movablelongitudinally with respect to the body portion, a V shaped member attached to the clampingmember, and a mem-' ber aflixed to thebody of the buckle and arranged to effect awedgingofsaid V-shaped member to maintain the clamping member in a desired spaced relation With-respect to the face plate of the buckle, substantially as described.

2. A buckle comprisinga body portion embodying a face plate, a bar extending crosswise. of thebody portion and on the under side thereof, a clamping member movable with respect to the body portion, and a V-shaped' plate attached to the clamping member and provided with a serrated surface, saidserrated surface engaging with said crosswise extending bar to maintain the clamping member in a desired spaced relation with respectto the-face plate, substantially as described;

3. In abuckle, the combination of a body portion embodying a plate, a bar spaced rearwardly of the plate to provide a straight line passage for a strap, a if-shaped clamping member having one end thereof disposed between thebar' and the plate with the extremities of the'member arranged to engage upon the strap, said clamping member being longitudinally movable with respect to the bar, whereby the extremities of the clamping member maybe brought nearer to or fartherfromxthe.strap as desired, and means for locking-theV-shaped clamping member in desired? position longitudinally of the bar,substantially as described.

7 4. In a buckle, the. combination of a body portion embodying a substantially flat plate, a bar spaced rearwardly fromv the plate, whereby a strap-maybe threaded between the-plate and barxin astraight line, and a cl'ampingimember arranged to actv upon the strap to press 1 the; same againstv the plate, comprising an angularly disposed. longitudin-ally movable element arranged to be wedged: between. the bar and strap with a desireddegree-ofpressure, and. means for locking-theesaid element in desired position longitudinally of the bar, substantially as described;

THOMAS HATHAWAY. Witnesses:- i ALFRED J. HoL'r'z, F.' C. KNoBUscH.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained .iorfive cents each-. by, ad dressingtl e,Commissioner ofPatents, Washi ngtomDa 6, 

